Brawn's Tale
by BatWingteenavenger
Summary: Follow the adventure of a wild mustang as he enters the world of Racing!
1. Chapter 1

Brawn's Tale

The wind in the grass whistled. The Eagle soared across the sky overhead, daring the wild mustangs below to race him. He circled three times, calling to any that raised their heads. His cousin the hawk flew to and fro, also calling.

In the small band of mixed-breed wild horses that grazed in the blue mountain valley, there was born from a chestnut mare, a red roan foal with spindly legs and a snip at the end of his very red muzzle. His mother, Comanche, named him Brawn, for though his legs were twigs, the rest of his body was quite stocky.

Like all mustang foals, Brawn was standing the minute his mother nudged him to get up. These lands were wild and as free, as were the animals that lived in their many environments. To be slow to stand was to invite trouble. To invite trouble was to become food. Therefore one must be vigilant, and be alert and able to run at the slightest sign of danger. This was the law of the wild horse; the law of the land.

Brawn didn't seem to care about the law of being safe, as he reared and bucked all over the place, squealing happily as he bugged his blue roan sister, Iris, and bay half brother, Nuka.

Nuka was a yearling, and told the foal in no certain terms that he didn't want to play. Lowering his head, he pinned his ears at the colt - THE warning. When that seemed to have no effect, he swiveled, turning his hindquarters so they faced the troublesome tyke - THE threat. When the bold colt refused to stop, the yearling gave him a swift kick - THE telling. Brawn had learned an important lesson; a lesson of communication and the lesson of the pecking order. These he had to remember if he was to be a good band stallion.

A new lesson he learned was not to try and mimic his father, the magnificent stallion Dawn, named for his shining strawberry chestnut coat. His father led the small band everywhere, but was none too pleased when Brawn snaked some of the young members of the band into a thicket, where all of them got tangled. A bite on the rump later, and no more snaking did Brawn do!

A few days after his birth, the valley was hit by a terrible storm. Mothers drew close to their young ones, and Dawn led them to a wooded area, where they would be safe from lightning. The muscled stallion counted his bandmates, and sighed heavily, stamping a hoof in annoyance. Brawn was missing. Again. But this was more urgent, for the lightning spelled real danger for any horse not in cover. The stallion stretched out his neck and called desperately. Above the rushing wind, his keen ears heard an answering squeal. Then the red roan colt streaked across the flatland, lightning touching down a split second after his hooves left the grass and entered leaves. The lesson here was never stray from the band. A frightened and sweating Brawn learned the importance of this rule.

Had the boisterous colt knew then what was to befall him, he would have paid more attention to all the lessons he was learning.


	2. Chapter 2

Brawn's Tale 2

The young colt grew up curious. He got into all sorts of trouble but got out of it just as quickly, then went on to get into less perilous trouble. Until the day that the keiger mustang, Spirit, the buckskin band stallion that did the unthinkable and went to the camp of the two-legs, and had a whole lot of adventure afterwards, came to their side of the valley, saying that some two-leggeds were on their way, and urged the big chestnut to move his band elsewhere. Heeding the striped dun's warning, the wise stallion urged his band to new grazing land on the far side of the valley.

Brawn, however, was loath to leave his home. It took his mother's gentle prodding and a swift nip from Nuka to get him moving He flattened his ears and bowed his neck at the now three year old colt as if to say 'yeah yeah I'm coming! Don't push me!'

For five days, they avoided the creatures and their intruding strange horses that wore constricting things on their faces and backs. On the fifth day, things changed.

One of the strangers was let loose onto their grazing land, and he called to them in a friendly whinny. Seeing he was alone, and assuming that not only was he a stranger, but a bachelor as well, Dawn ran him off. The stranger came back, and was run off more aggressively than before; the band stallion nipping his rump on the way out. The stranger had a task, and his partner would be upset with him if he didn't fulfill it soon. So he stood at the border and nickered and whinnied invitingly, promising adventure and a fair bit of food. A few of the younger bachelors from across the way heeded his calls, and eagerly followed him into the unknown territory beyond their home.

Brawn watched them go curiously, and followed not long after; mane and tail whipping behind him like bursts of flame.

The stranger led the horses into a narrow piece of land. A few of the bachelors became wary, rethinking their decision as strange smells began wafting through their delicate noses. Suddenly, the stranger broke off from them, and went to stand by a strange pile of logs that seemed to defy gravity. The logs swung closed, cutting the horses off from their freedom.

Only then did Brawn begin to panic, throwing his head high into the air and striking the strange wall of logs. A two-legged creature appeared and bit him with a long, loud thing, and he reared and jumped back, ears pinned, ready to fight the creature that bit him. He was frightened and beginning to feel angry as well. He spotted the strange horse that started all this, and neighed questioningly, ears cocked and head down. The stranger, referred to as 'Judas Horse' by the two-legged now patting him affectionately, neighed back that he was only doing his job; there was nothing joyous about it. He bowed his head slightly, ears flat as if to say sorry, but Brawn pinned his ears and turned his hindquarters to the traitorous equine, bitter and still a bit confused.

The bachelors around him were just as panicked, and threw themselves into the barrier surrounding them, that kept them from their home and freedom. One big bay even tried to jump over the logs, but they were far too high, and he flipped on his back, getting his neck caught between two of the logs. It took him a few minutes to realize that thrashing around wasn't helping him much, and he decided to lay there. Sure enough, a two-legged creature knelt down and patiently helped the bay horse get his head and neck clear.

Brawn watched this curiously. Why was the creature helping get Brumby free, when it was clear the goal was to keep them from freedom? There were many things he had to learn about the strangers that now were forcing the small band of bachelors and himself into a box that smelled like fire when it burped. Frightened yet still as curious as ever, the two year old colt sniffed around the strange box until he found grass. Realizing he was starving, he eagerly began eating, not noticing that the box was now on the move, taking him and his companions into a different world.


	3. Chapter 3

**This goes out to Polina! You're awesome! It's nice to see this fandom come back...even if it may be because of a certain lame spinoff that shouldn't exist...Silver lining in the storms of insultingly horrific ripoff series that should be run over by the train that was on fire in the movie...siiiigh enough ranting. Please review!**

The sights, smells and sounds that he woke to made the red roan colt feel many things. Fear, excitement...curiosity...all these things the colt felt as he took in the strange, new environment he had been thrust into against his will.

There were so MANY strangers here! Strange horses, stranger two-legged creatures...of those there seemed to be every size and shape! Little ones tagged along next to what he could only describe as their sires or dams. Big burly ones with hair on their faces escorted lean ones with big flat things on their heads. Every one of them wore things to cover themselves. Things that draped around them like ivy, things on their heads to apparently keep the sun from shining on their heads...which made sense to him because they had very little hair protecting them from the elements; things even to protect their hands!

A few short ones wore brightly colored and very confusingly patterned top coverings. A few of these led horses with the same colored coverings on their faces and backs. What was strange to the wild mustang was that these horses seemed PROUD to be garbed like the creatures that led them. They pranced and held their heads high, looking to him like cocky, proud roosters, showing off their bright colors. He flicked his ear and snorted in disgust. He would bite any creature that dared try to make HIM look like a parrot! He noticed that some of the strangely colored horses actually had some sense, rearing and kicking at the one leading them; acting very put out and insulted. The red roan swished his tail, pleased that at least some of these horses had dignity.

Why was it so noisy? The sounds around him were as confusing as the sights. Creatures talked, yelled, the little ones screeched and cried and giggled. Donkeys brayed, chickens and ducks made their ruckus...Goats complained and sheep voiced their boredom. The colt's ears picked up everything in this packed, bustling place.

One particular creature seemed louder than the rest, and he sounded like a droning magpie. He seemed to be making noise just to see how fast he could make noise. Sometimes he would stop and hit wood with a loud bang, and one noise would come out of his mouth. The roan noticed that every time he made the loud bang, a creature came and took one of the other horses that had traveled with him away; or one of the other animals that had been in the box with them would be removed. Thus he associated the bang and voice that followed, as a bad thing, and pinned his ears every time it happened.

The smells were fascinating as well. The two-legged creatures created so many scents, they seemed to have no one of their own! There was stink, flowers, rotting meat smells...but nothing to determine a definite scent for the creatures.

He found he liked the smell of the mare-creatures better than the stallion-creatures, for they always seemed to have natural scents on them like flowers and woods, even a few who smelled of horse! The stallion-creatures though...they worried him. Their smells were stinky, and some seemed to want to say 'I'm in charge! Head stallion here! Don't challenge me!' while others seemed to be saying 'I ate rotten fruit and am not all here right now. Stay clear!' with their smells. There were a few, like the little ones, who smelled decent and friendly, but he couldn't find one that smelled like horse-friend: like a band mate, or at least smelling less like a threat to his freedom.

A stallion-creature reached for the contraption that was on his face (it had been put there earlier, in the box while he slept) and he threw up his head; only to have it brought down again by the tie now in the creature's hand. The creature clucked at him, then made noises with his mouth as he tugged on the tie, making to go forward. With horror, the red roan realized it was his turn to be taken by a stranger, and planted his hooves in the dirt, ears flat against his head. The creature leading him made pleading, beckoning sounds, tugging on the contraption and trying to get him to move. He bared his teeth in warning and refused to un-plant himself; instead getting ready to show his annoyance. The stupid creature got angry at him, smacking him with the end of the string he pulled. Startled, the red roan bolted, throwing his head high, which yanked the tie free from the hands of the one holding him.

The wild horse ran through the market, knocking over booths and trampling produce in his mad dash to somewhere, anywhere, but where that noisy magpie creature was, the rope whipping behind him, smacking him on the rump and spurring him faster.

A short man in bright silks tipped his helmet as he watched the runaway gain speed, his eyes wide and a smile of amusement gracing his lips as he said in awe.

"By George Woolf...I think the flames of destiny just sped past me."


End file.
